All Chapters of Silent Flames, Forbidden Paths: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

His coat lay forgotten on a stone by the riverbank. He reached for it, shook off the dust, and without a word, draped it over my shoulders. The heavy fabric swallowed my shoulders, covering every inch of me that I wished had never been seen.His hands lingered on the edges for a second too long, his knuckles brushing against my damp skin before he pulled away like he was electrocuted.I swore I could feel his warmth through the rain.The coat was warm and smelled faintly of him — he really smelled different, something unique and something impossibly comforting.I stared at him, my lips parting, my breath caught somewhere between embarrassment and gratitude.“Th-thank you,” I stammered, pulling the coat tighter around me.He didn’t say anything. His eyes softened as they met mine, steady and unreadable. Rain trickled down his temple, catching on his lashes. He looked heavenly!Then, with a slight, almost imperceptible smile, he murmured, “It’s nothing.”But it was.It was a shield. A k

The car stopped suddenly — he actually parked the car and stepped out into the darkness — to give me privacy — that was when I realized…I didn’t even know how to open the bag.I was doomed.I don’t know how to address these feelings! I sat there, in the car, like a pile of human embarrassment on top of existential dread. My entire body was frozen — a mixture of cold sweat and a warm blush I couldn't seem to shake. Mr. Wright stood outside, too cool, too composed. The typical him! His figure against the streetlights was like the calm before a storm, but which storm? Oh, that was my inner turmoil which was about to drown me.---I sighed, staring down at the bag in my hands, willing myself not to flip out. Just change, Alina. You’ve been through worse. You can handle this. It’ll be over soon!‘Never trust a man’s choice when it comes to clothing’—that was a universal truth! And I knew it. So, I hadn’t expected much either. Now, I just needed something—anything—to cover myself. That

Her gaze dropped—to my neck.No.No. No. No.“Alina…” she said slowly, like a horror movie villain spotting the final girl’s fatal mistake.RUN.Before I could dodge, her hand shot out and tilted my face like she was unveiling the Mona Lisa’s scandalous twin.“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!”I leapt back like she’d doused me in boiling water. “It’s nothing! NOTHING!”Her jaw dropped. Her entire soul combusted in real time. You could’ve powered the city with the drama pouring out of her.“OH MY GOD. YOU HAVE A MARK.”“It’s not a mark!”“It is! That’s a KISS MARK. A—oh my God—it’s a LIP-GHOST.”My eye twitched. “What the hell is a lip-ghost?!”“A ghost of a kiss! A spiritual smudge of sin!”“I will throw you out the window.

When Ethan asked me to take her out—to that stupid lunch because of the damn Parents’ Day bullshit the school insists on organizing—I should’ve said no.Every part of me knew it was a bad fucking idea.Parents’ Day. That glorified circus where all the proud parents stroll in like they’re collecting awards, beaming at their kids like they’re gold-plated trophies. Laughing, hugging, crying. It’s a feel-good disaster for teachers. But for kids like Alina?It’s a nightmare.Because her parents? They’re not an option.Not for her.And of course, Ethan couldn’t come. He’s always working himself into the fucking ground, never taking a break. So guess who got picked? Guess who got volunteered?Me.A teacher.A fucking teacher.What kind of twisted joke is that?A grown man, taking a teenage girl out for lunch, alone? How does that even look? Wh

The lingerie.Jesus fucking Christ, the lingerie.My jaw clenches so hard it pops.I didn’t buy it. Thank God I didn’t. But I thought about it. I touched it. That thin, delicate lace, black and wicked like sin itself. I imagined how it would look against her skin. I imagined it fitting her just right. Too right.imagined her.And something inside me whispered, “Yes. That. That belongs to her.”Not to a lover.Not to some teenage boy fumbling in the dark.To me.That thought… that claim… it was a quiet, savage little voice in my head. And it scared the living shit out of me.I slam my palm against the wall, trying to knock it out of me. Trying to shake it off.No.No, no, no.This is dangerous. This is sick. This is fucking wrong.She’s a child. I’m her teacher. I’m the one meant to protect her, not fantasize about how her soaked dr